Tokyo, Japan 2020 Olympics Bucket-List Fail

Crying Foul

I was the girl in P.E. who screamed at every airborne ball! For group sports, I was chosen last.

No one wanted the ‘diva/prissy girl’ on their team! None of that bothered me.

I basked in my femininity and lack of athleticism. If there was an athletic part of my DNA, it malfunctioned somewhere down the line!

Yet every Olympics, I was a dedicated bystander in front of my t.v.

Opposites Attract

Maybe we most admire those most opposite of us. I watched every aspect of the games (the interviews, training, warm-ups, and award ceremonies).

I cheered equally for the U.S. and the Black island nations. African nations came a close second.

My favorite sports were track and field, all swimming, gymnastics, skating and diving.

I would look at all those muscular bodies working beyond their capacities and it filled me with awe and inspiration.

No, I would probably never qualify (and didn’t want to). But I could apply their discipline, determination, and desire to win to other areas of my life.

Tokyo Bucket-list Activated

I was thrilled with Tokyo as the host city.

I never trained and I don’t have a coach.

In my mind, I fully embodied the athletes’ persistence in everyday life.

All that binging paid off. I had decided to make Tokyo my first trip to Asia.

Eye on the prize

I love being able to create itineraries around my original purpose. Tokyo was not just Olympics!

It now meant geisha fittings, ninja photoshoots, and everything robot.

“Memoirs of a Geisha” is solely responsible for my infatuation with the geisha culture. I read the book, saw the movie and the romantic in me wanted to walk among blooming cherry blossoms.

That was the only downside to the August date. The Olympics were held in the summer which is after the cherry blossom season is over.

It wasn’t the end of the world! I could always return.

Prepare for Take-off

I had seven years to plan and prepare. I went to my best friend on trip preparation: Google.

Most of the blogs were about past Olympics. The last one was held in Brazil.

Most of the articles referred to that summer. I did get a few general tips.

Away Game

Japan was totally opposite of Brazil and America. Theirs was an old-world culture.

It had rules and social norms that I was not familiar with. I needed to learn about customs, climate, housing structures, and street etiquette.

This led me to YouTube. There were a gazillion ‘how to…Japan’ videos. As usual, I was caught up in my research.

I tried to watch ALL of them!

Japan 101

I gained a little insight into life as a Japanese citizen.

Tips were not appreciated, for instance. Their way of dressing was very modest.

This was useful information. I would never want to offend the natives.

Preparations were being made to add more signs in English. I already had enough adjustments to make. This was a huge reassurance!

I took lots of notes and knew I would need to come back for more.

The Total Package

I found out that there were official partners of the Olympics in every country. They were the only ones authorized to sell tickets.

For the USA, it was CoSport. I created an account on CoSport.com.

It was early and package prices weren’t offered.

I knew I might not be able to afford their packages. But I wanted to make sure I was connected to the source.

Russian Roulette

As I embarked on my lengthy research project, I saw a statistic about the small chances one had of getting an Olympics ticket. Again, I had the fierce optimism of an Olympics athlete and those low odds were not going to stop me!

The tickets are awarded through a lottery system. The hosting country gets first dibs and the other countries an allotted amount.

My first blog, The Naked Traveler documents the mental hurdles I had to overcome. The name of the game I competed in was solo travel.

Tokyo was a monumental goal and I was hopeful that it would come into fruition. I willed it to manifest.

Japan hosted the summer games in 1964. I wanted to be a part of history.

Is There Such a Thing as Japanese Roulette?

It was almost impossible to predict costs. I estimated based on Brazil’s numbers.

My next step was to wait on the building of the main stadium. This would give me an idea of the area I wanted to stay in.

I looked up airline booking as far into the future as I could.

I was well aware those numbers could be drastically higher as the dates approached. My closest experience to a city-wide takeover event was the Essence Festival in New Orleans, LA.

The Olympics were on a much larger scale.

Red, White & Blue

I followed every FB Olympics page. I signed up for email updates on all Japan accounts related to the games.

Outfit choices were planned through TeamUSA.

There weren’t any 2020 items. The website mostly had discounted merchandise from prior games.

My excitement was my main source of motivation. One of my travel mottoes is that its never too early to plan for a trip.

I Have a Dream

This one was of epic proportions to me. It was a bucket-list dream. I couldn’t keep the good news to myself. I told anyone who would listen.

They just looked at me crazily. In their minds, solo travel and Tokyo Olympics did not match.

I was never one to let other’s opinions stop me.

Dream On

The Olympics seemed like decades away! It gave me time to daydream.

As an 80’s baby, I loved watching ninja flicks.

American Ninja added a female and I was hooked.

Other cultures have always fascinated the untapped explorer within. I liked watching but preferred an active role.

Hands On

I wanted to visit the monasteries and temples. I could feel the weight of the rattan wood in my palms as I practiced ninja routines in my head.

In the Bahamas, I recalled wearing similar shoes to the ones they wore to school. It was simply a coincidence. They were cotton, flat and had a strap across the middle.

Transformer

Viator.com and Expedia.com are the two websites I mainly use to look up excursions. This was one aspect of the trip that would be constant.

The pricing was very reasonable and spread across multiple cities in Japan.

Tokyo meant transformation! I no longer wanted to be ‘San the Queen Bee’.

I wanted to evolve into the best doting geisha and fiercest ninja in all of Tokyo.

Next, I would go to the place where a kid can be a kid! Nope, not ‘Toys R Us’. Disney Land Tokyo.

There’s a Price to Pay

In 2018, I received an email from CoSport. It gave an estimated tour cost. The ticket figures were unavailable.

As a solo traveler, our most dreaded words are ‘double occupancy”. My trip with them would be about $10k.

That amount confirmed that  I would be doing my own arrangements. They even reassured that you would be traveling with Olympics family members.

Based on my research Booking.com and Agoda.com were great options for Tokyo’s hotels. Dates are not populated for the games.

I tried Airbnb. The nightly prices were gouged.

The decently priced homes were too far away or not up to par.

Countdown

Fast forward to the current day. The “forces that be” kept postponing the lottery dates. I set money set aside.

On the day of the lottery, the site listed all of the games’ categories. They were grouped by dates in alphabetical order (A-E). A was the best seating.

There were three daily sessions. Each day specified if medals were being awarded.

Prices would be available after the lottery period. There was no option on the site for  U.S. residents to purchase opening/closing ceremony seats.

The Waiting Game

Each person was given a maximum of 20 ticket options. You’d be notified of the cost.

At that point, you’d make a choice. A third email would confirm if you won any of your selections.

Someone in a travel group mentioned that each member of their family set up an account to increase their odds.

I hadn’t thought of that. It was a solo trip.

The six years was enough time to prepare for possible heartache, unfortunately, I did not win any tickets in the lottery! Like an Olympian, I put in all the work and gave it my best shot.

Hopes Dashed

I knew nothing was a guarantee, no matter how positive I was. My sheer determination was no match for this worldwide lottery!

I received an email offering another chance! You would log in to CoSport on a specific date and wait in cue for your chance to enter into the site and make a live selection.

Each person was given ten minutes to purchase. I’m not a quitter. I set my alarm’s calendar.

On the day of, I even had a second place in the queue through my laptop.

Please Hold…

The 2020 Olympics received an unprecedented request for tickets. The Japan site crashed several times.

Most of the release-by dates were delayed.

On the day of, I logged onto the site. It wouldn’t load.

I just kept trying.

The picture above shows a screenshot of Cosport.com. I prayed for a miracle!

A message populated saying the tickets were sold out. I waited my turn for final confirmation. It took two hours.

The website confirmed that the tickets “were” sold out!

There’s Always Cherry Blossoms

I could go to Japan just to be in the midst of the festivities. Yet, it wouldn’t be the same.

If I can’t attend the games, it defeats the whole purpose for me. I have the $10k CoSport option. (Not happening)

I could buy tickets in Japan. I heard those could be $1K (U.S.dollars and up ). Another no.

There will be a first-come, first-served process in the fall. My determination does have limits.

Tokyo Olympics 2020, is looking like a fail! There’s always cherry blossoms!

~Poof…Bee Gone

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